1 Month 5 Days Earlier...
The hallucinations were getting more and more realistic as time went by. I closed my eyes and decided to ignore the fighting and let my staff disappear. I didn't need this. And it wasn't like Kakuzu and Hidan would lose. And soon the strange Jutsu Asuma had put on me would disappear.
I counted backwards from ten. Ten… nine… eight… eight… eight… what was that? I smelt lemongrass…
My eyes snapped open. The smell disappeared. I groaned. Again? I didn't even use my powers. I needed to get hold of myself. I started to count again. No hallucinations hindered me but it only made me feel angrier. As a last resort I fiddled with the ring on my finger. The calming one. It worked and a few minutes later I was better.
Hidan was approaching Asuma when I looked up next. He was preparing for the final blow. Right before he did that, Asuma moved up. I thought for sure I had knocked him out or something. He blocked him! He blocked my brother!
But it was too late. His scythe was moving behind Asuma, aiming to cut him from behind. I frowned. "Asuma…"
Why did I call that name out? I had no reason too! He ducked and I almost relaxed. But… it was wrong… Instead of hitting Asuma it hid Hidan, piercing him in the stomach. I bit my lip. It wasn't my brother I was concerned about.
Hidan laughed. "You fool! It's the same trap again!"
Asuma fell forward and I leaned forward, "n-no…" Standing up I refrained from jumping down. "No…"
Drip.
I looked down. That… it was wet. Was I imagining this? No… it was real. It was a tear. "Fuck… this fucking Jutsu… I don't want it…."
He was going to die. And for some reason that hurt me. If made me feel like I was dying. I wanted the Jutsu to go away! "Asuma…"
His eyes turned toward me and met mine. In that gaze, I read the same feeling from before. What was it? What was that?
"Well, how is it?" Hidan smirked. I wanted to slap him. I wanted to make him shut up. "How about here?"
"Asuma… no…" I gasped when Hidan raised his pole above his head. "NO!"
Just as I jumped down and cried out in unison with Shikamaru, Hidan plunged. Asuma's eyes clouded over, never leaving mine. And then he fell forward.
My breath hitched in my throat, my eyes wide and my mouth open. Tears wouldn't stop seeping from my eyes, into my mouth and down to the ground.
The jutsu wasn't gone. The jutsu that made my heart stop, ache, burn! As if it was breaking. "No…" I shook my head. My breath was still shaky. I took a step forward, and another. "No… no… no!"
I fell to my knees, tears pouring down my cheeks. "No… " He felt so far away but so close. My body ached for him… ached to touch him. To feel him… to hold him. "Asuma!"
A hand on my shoulder shook me from the trance. I looked up at my brother. "What the hell Calista?"
"what is this Jutsu!" I shouted to the others. "Get it off! Get rid of it! I'll kill you all! Make it stop! I'll kill you!"
It didn't stop, nor did the tears. "Please… make it stop… I'm begging you… make it stop!"
Hidan looked away,
My hand wound in with the fabric of the Akatsuki cloak right over my heart. "Hidan… make it stop… please." He put a hand on my shoulder and I leant against his leg, closing my eyes. "Make it stop…"
In his eyes he almost held compassion, gritting his teeth. I opened my eyes and looked at the scene in front of me. This was wrong… every part of it…
"Hurry it up Kakuzu." Hidan hollered.
"Just give me a minute." Hidan squeezed the necks of the two Shinobi next to him even harder.
"You.. son of a bitch." Shikamaru rose, his body as shaky as my breathing, looking at Hidan. "You're gonna pay for that!"
"No!" I shouted, summoning my pole back and forcing him to block it with his arms, holding it the long way. I shoved him back. He was too weak to put up a fight. With tear-stained eyes I looked at him, lying on the ground. No more… I didn't want to see any more. "Stop…"
Suddenly a feather fell in front of me. Was this another hallucination? Probably. I ignored the growing number and the crows until Hidan complained about them. "Whats this? Do you really think you can beat me with a flock of crows?"
So they were real. I swatted a few away with my staff. They kept coming. I frowned, ignoring them and focusing on Shikamaru. But a sight near Kakuzu made me gasp. Someone had snuck through us and aimed a black sword at his head. He moved it to the side and dodged easily. It forced him to let go of the two ninja though.
Another ninja appeared and grabbed Asuma. A fluffly one with a lots of hair. A girl in a rather revealing purple uniform patted Shikamaru on the back.
Reinforcements! I glared as they moved away. Who were they?
"Shikamaru is that…" The purple one trailed off, looking at me and my cloak.
"She's with them. Don't let your guard down. She's the same as them." His fists were clenched.
I didn't feel like thinking about it. I didn't feel like much of anything. I walked back next to my brother. He put a hand back on my shoulder, grabbing it tightly, but not too tight. "Stupid birds." He hissed as they advanced on us. The three of us moved back.
"Reinforcements." Hidan hissed as a white cloud surrounded us.
"We need his body. Come Calista."
"Kakuzu you fool sh-"
"Come." He interrupted us.
I went obediently, appearing with Kakuzu on the roof. Unlike him I stayed back a few feet, letting him do the talking.
"Calista!" Shikamaru shouted angrily. "How could you do this? How could you let this happen! You loved him!"
I narrowed my eyes. "Stop! Stop with that Jutsu! Was it you? Are you the one doing it?" I took a step forward, grabbing my cloak in front of my heart. "If I have to kill you to get rid of it I will!"
"Calista." Kakuzu held out his arm. I stopped and looked away. Kakuzu turned his attention back to the four. "I'm not giving up my bounty."
"Is that right?" Shikamaru gripped his pant legs tight.
Another man leapt in front of us. "Take Asuma and get out of here now! We'll keep these two busy."
When he charged I knew my place. I clapped my hands together and a metal wall Appeared in front of me. I lept over it as it disappeared, attacking from above the unsuspecting ninja. My staff appeared and I used it to try and assault him. His Taijutsu was not bad. He blocked that I threw at him. Eventually I let the staff disappear and just used my hands. Blocking a kick, punch, returning with my own, block, attack, pivot, twist, attack, pivot, attack, kick, and so on.
Just as I was attacking a voice inside my head rang out: "We're sealing the two tails. Return at once. This is top priority.
I jumped back. "Yes sir." I said allowed. Hidan complained but Kakuzu shut him off.
We rejoined Hidan on the ground. "We'll be back in no time. So prepare yourselves."
I turned around, looking back behind me one last time. I met eyes with Shikamaru's.
The jutsu did not disappear. I knew that it was a permanent one. This ache of the heart… so blinding and hard. I would do anything to make it stop. Whatever it was.
